A Chance Meeting
by consultingwizardinthetardis
Summary: The Twelfth Doctor meets Amy and Rory by chance in the streets of Manhattan, 1946. Drama ensues as he keeps secrets and tries to avoid the inevitable. Amy wants to come back on the TARDIS. **Other characters become involved, but I'm not putting them in the description because spoilers**
1. Landing in Manhattan

**A/N: Sorry for the random update, I'm looking things over, and noticed a few spelling/grammar errors previously overlooked.**

* * *

He looked at the scanner, surprised to see where he landed. New York, 1946. "Better go look around if she brought me here" he muttered to himself. He grabbed his jacket and pulled open the TARDIS doors, and stepped out of the alleyway immediately engulfed into the swarm of people on the sidewalk. "Bit chilly" he remarked, half to himself and half to Clara, who he then realized wasn't there anymore. He hadn't bothered to find a new companion after she left. Solitary travel felt right at the moment. He needed some time to clear his head after the Impossible Girl. His eyes were drawn to the billboard in front of him and he stifled a small gasp. It was Amy.

He turned around and dashed into the nearest shop, which happened to be a little cafe. To keep the appearance of being normal he ordered a coffee, and while the girl behind the counter prepared it, he casually remarked, "Do you know who that woman on the billboard is?"  
"Well of course I do!" the girl exclaimed. "That's Amelia Williams, an author I think." she said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't read much but I think that there is an advertisement for her newest book, that Melody Malone one."  
His breath caught slightly, and the girl noticed.  
"You okay sir?" she asked.  
"Yes, yes, just fine." he said, brushing off her concern. "I knew her, that's all."  
"Really?"  
"Yes. And if you don't mind, I'll be leaving now, thank you." he spoke quietly, taking his coffee from the girl and leaving the shop into the cold winter air.

He walked quickly, trying to resist the urge to contact Amy, and probably Rory too. "They won't even recognize you." a little voice taunted in his head. "Just go see them again, you don't have to tell them you're the Doctor."

"Stop it." he said, and caught a few strange glances before he realized he had spoken aloud.

"I have to get out of here" he thought desperately, before realizing, in his confusion over seeing Amy, he had forgotten where he had put the TARDIS. "Great. Well isn't that just great."

Turning around, he tried to backtrack, only to be swamped by many pedestrians going in the opposite direction.

"Oi, watch it!" said a familiar voice that still retained its Scottish accent despite many years in Britain and then in America.

"Amy!" he called out.

"Sorry, do I know you?" she said.

"I'm such a huge fan of your books!" he said improvising on the spot. "Do you want to stop and have a coffee with me?" Though it was against his better judgement, he wished to speak to Amy and Rory again so much he got carried away.

"Of course, I'm always flattered to meet a fan. Do you mind if my husband comes along?"

He then saw Rory standing nearby looking in a shop window.

"I don't mind at all! He can come too!" He tried to keep an excited air to stay in character.

"Just a moment." She dashed off to get Rory and in spite of himself the Doctor smiled.

She returned a moment later.

"Now, how about that coffee?" she said

"Um, who is this again?" asked Rory, clearly confused by the situation.

"This is a fan; sorry didn't catch your name."

"John Smith." he replied going to his old fall back and then mentally cursing himself. What if Amy or Rory suspected something?

"We had a friend who went by that name sometimes." Amy said with a slightly wistful tone.

"Yes, but he's gone now." Rory spoke with a considerable amount of force, and the Doctor could tell this was a touchy subject.

"It's quite a common name though isn't it." he forced a laugh. "I can't be the first John Smith you've met."

"Right." The Doctor could tell Amy was slightly saddened though, and cursed himself again for using the old fall back name. "I can understand if you don't want to come to coffee with me anymore."

"No, no, it's still fine." she brightened "I love to meet a fan. Which was your favourite book?" she asked with an air of someone who was incredibly proud of her work.

"I really loved the Melody Malone one, great story, though it felt as if I was missing something in the afterword."

Amy took a quick glance at Rory before answering. "It was for a personal friend." she spoke briefly.

"Ah." he said, again he felt he was touching on a sore subject. He took a sip of his coffee. He pulled out the book which he kept on him always, and asked her to sign it.

"Of course." she said, smiling warmly." She took the book in her hands, opened it up to the front cover, and signed it. When she passed it back, she dropped the book and it fell open to the back cover, revealing the ripped out last page. Amy and Rory stared at it for a moment before looking to the strange man across the table from them.

"I really must go now." said hurriedly, and rushed out of the shop before Amy or Rory could say anything.


	2. Discovering the Doctor

Amy and Rory looked at each other, stunned and considering the possibility that this was the Doctor.

"Do you think it was really him?" said Rory in a quiet tone.

"I don't know. I mean River told us he could change his face, but I wasn't expecting that." Amy spoke in the same undertone as Rory.

"I think we should go after him."

"Me too."

They both rushed out of the coffee shop, determined to find the man they believed to be the Doctor.

* * *

The Doctor hurried along, but it wasn't long before he realized he still didn't remember where he left the TARDIS. He muttered a curse word in Gallifreyan and ducked into an alleyway to begin scanning for it. He pulled out his sonic a swept it in a wide arc all around him. "There." he thought smugly. "Now I can finally get out of this place." His face fell as he read the readings and saw the TARDIS was nowhere in the city. "Where have you gone?" he wondered, finally realizing that he had never fixed the Hostile Action Displacement System, and the TARDIS must have sensed some sort of danger and dematerialized. Groaning, he extended the distance the scan was for, expanding it to cover the whole earth. He sighed inwardly, hoping it wouldn't take too long, as he needed to avoid Amy and Rory, as they had surely realized who he was by now. To his dismay, Amy and Rory came barrelling around the corner.

* * *

Amy and Rory had spent some time running to find the Doctor. It was a testament to New York how quickly someone could disappear, even walking. They went with the direction of the foot traffic, yelling "Sorry!" and "Excuse me!" all along their path. They looked into every alleyway, and it wasn't long before they found the Doctor.

"Oi!" Amy called out. "John!"

"Yes?" he said, quickly hiding the sonic in his pocket. Running would be a bit conspicuous. "Sorry I took such a quick leave, but I needed to get to an appointment.

"You can cut the act, Doctor." said Rory. "We know it's you."

Amy walked slowly around the Doctor, examining him.

"No offense, Doctor, but you're kind of, well, _old."_

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he replied, trying to act as confused as he could. Unfortunately, this regeneration was not as good at acting as others, and his performance was far from convincing.

Amy took a step back and then took a quizzical look at him.

"Are you sure," she said, "Because I remember a certain wife of yours telling us you could change your face."

Sighing, the Doctor finally decided to drop the fake facade that wasn't fooling anyone.

"Okay, it is me."

"I knew it!" squealed Amy. "From the moment I saw the ripped out last page of the book! I knew you would find us again! I never lost hope!"

"I didn't lose hope either." said Rory, clearly feeling less than happy about Amy's squealing joy over seeing the Doctor again. "Remember me?"

"I can't stay or take you with me anymore." I've seen both of your graves and read them. You die here, in this time. Living out your lives together and not with me."

Amy's joy clearly subsided and her face fell. "But can't time be rewritten? You can just return us here again, just as you always did."

"The TARDIS wouldn't like it, either. Bit of a problem. And what if you die out there on an adventure? Even if I tried to take you to safe planets, trouble always seems to find me."

"Can you visit?" Amy said, her voice barely audible over the din of traffic and people.

"If I could have before, I would have. In fact, I wasn't even supposed to land here. I was aiming for Earth in 2046, not 1946. Though, I managed to get the place right. River was supposed to be there. But I suppose I am a time traveller."

"Are you travelling with anyone now?" asked Rory, clearly concerned for the Doctor.

"No, but I was," he said softly, "she left me shortly after I regenerated. Said she liked the old me better."

"It's still you though, you're still the Doctor." said Amy.

"Yeah. Tell you what though, you can help me one last time," the Doctor replied, somewhat tentatively, as he didn't want to get Amy's hopes up to have them dashed once more.

"Really?" said Amy, clearly excited again, though trying not to show it plainly.

"Yes. I need to find my TARDIS." It's not in the city and could be anywhere on Earth that it has deemed safe."

"I can see why it's not in New York then." said Rory, clearly amused.

"Yes, yes, I still need to find it though."

"We'll help you Doctor. You always helped us, so we will help you.

* * *

**A/N: I will be trying to update this fic every Sunday as well as Wednesdays, and the chapters will be fairly short, until I get into my writing groove. This is my first one, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.**


	3. The Enemy

The Doctor sighed once more as he resigned himself to Amy and Rory helping him once more. He knew Amy would try to convince him to take her and Rory back onto the TARDIS the entirety of their journey together. Wishing he knew where the TARDIS was, he set off, scanning again in a wide arc all around him.

"There." he muttered to himself. "That should do it."

"That should do what?" said Amy, and the Doctor realized he had someone to talk to again, and he had to explain what he was doing once more.

"I'm setting up a scan for the TARDIS and anything that could have made it demateralize."

"What could have made it dematerialize like that?" asked Rory, using the quizzical tone the Doctor hadn't realized he missed. The Doctor bent down to examine the ground, scanning as he went.

"Oh, I don't know, last time it did that it was because-" the Doctor broke off, staring at the screwdriver's reading in stunned silence. "It can't be." He whispered almost inaudibly.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

The Doctor straightened up. "You need to leave me. Now." He said the last word with such force Amy and Rory almost felt it as a tangible thing.

"But...you just...but you said...we could come with you!" Amy finally sputtered out, clearly flustered.

"That was before I knew who I was facing."

"Who is it this time?" Rory asked cautiously.

"The last times I faced this enemy, people got hurt. I got hurt."

"You have to let us help you!" cried Amy, upset and hurt that the Doctor was pushing her away again. "We'll make sure none of gets hurt. It won't be like last time because this time you have us." She smiled, sure she he convinced the Doctor to let them come again.

"But just who are we facing this time, Doctor?" Rory repeated his question.

"The Master."

* * *

"The Master?" Rory echoed, in a confused tone. "And just who is that?"

"A nemesis I have not seen in a long while, and who I thought was dead. _Again."__  
_

"But how can he be here if he was dead? Is he one of your lot? A Time Lord too?" Amy bombarded him with questions, not giving him any time to answer in between them. he shushed Amy by touching her lightly on the shoulder and looking at her.

"Yes, he is a Time Lord, but as you know, we can be permanently killed. I thought he had been killed once before, and then he was brought back to life for the Time War. He died then, but then he came back to life through a prison warden's cult. I really thought he had died that time, but I might have been a bit distracted."

"Why would that be?" Amy asked.

"Erm, well because that was the night I regenerated, and the night I met you Amelia Pond."

"Oh. So you want us to go because this man, he killed you."

"No, no. I absorbed a fatal amount of radiation. He didn't kill me. But the time before, I had someone with me, Martha, that was her name, and her whole family was tortured, she was forced to walk the Earth alone for an entire year, all by herself. She and her entire family had to deal with the year that never was, and not talk about to anyone outside their family because no one else remembered. All because of me. The Master is capable of terrible things, and I don't ever want to face him again with someone by my side. No one else should get hurt because of me. I hurt so many people, including you two. I hurt everyone I come into contact with, and I think it may be time to stop hurting people."

"You shouldn't be alone. Don't be alone, Doctor." to his surprise, it had been Rory who had said this, as Amy had tears dripping down her cheeks, and seemed incapable of speech for the time being.

"I really have to do this alone. No one else will be hurt, and I will get rid of the Master once and for all."

"Doctor, you promised." For a second the Doctor didn't see Amy Pond, the grown-up woman, and he only saw the child Amelia Pond, who waited in her garden for the entire night, waiting for him to come back in his magic box and show her the stars. His breath caught in his throat as he considered taking them with him again, oh how he had dreamed of that! For a moment, keeping his promise to Amy was the most important thing in the universe. But he then shook it off and returned to the real world, his world, one of rationalism and facts. Thoughts like that belonged to someone else entirely, a different, more hopeful version of himself. Sometimes he wondered if each regeneration was just a different mash-up of all the characteristics he had acquired over the years. So many, long years, and so many, different selves. Although he missed having a companion, he felt he needed to be distant again, be with his thoughts, and work out how to cope with all the many losses he felt much more keenly in this regeneration, possibly because his last one was so intent on forgetting all he could. Different ways of coping he supposed.

"Doctor?" Amy asked, her concern showing through. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright." He said, shaking off the thoughts he had been having and turned his attention to Amy and Rory again.

"Okay then." Amy said, unconvinced. "So what are we doing now?"

"I told you. There is no 'we' this time. Only me. I will deal with the Master alone. By myself." Amy opened her mouth to protest. "I can deal with this by myself. I don't need anyone else getting hurt." The last sentence could be heard only by the Doctor. He needed to make a nice, clean break, sever the ties he had with Amy and Rory once and for all, even if meant hurting them. He felt it was justified, preventing them from further hurt and loss, if he got Amy's and Rory's hopes up, though Rory would never admit it, only to have them dashed and fall even farther than before, to a place of more sadness, and loss. He didn't want that for Amy and Rory, for he had been there, tried everything, to get them back. "Just me this time." Because in the end, it was always just him. Everyone came and went, but he was ultimately left alone.

"Well I'm not leaving you. I can't, not after I just found you again. It's like finding a hundred dollars and then dropping it a few minutes later. But you are worth so much more to me than that. You need us, just this one last time." Amy spoke with such feeling the Doctor was almost moved to tears.

"Alright. Just this one last time." as he said this, he felt a small smile creep across his face, and for the first time in a long while, he was nothing but happy.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the slight sadness of the chapter, but I have this headcanon that 12 will be a bit darker, and a bit more removed, and that the Doctor has a _lot_ of pent-up guilt over losing Amy and Rory.**


	4. Quite The Predicament

"So what do we have to do?" Rory asked, letting the question hang in the air.

"Well I thought is was the Hostile Action Displacement System that caused the TARDIS to dematerialize, but now I have to consider the possibility that it is the Master that stole the TARDIS and went off with it. That would be the worse situation." The Doctor stared at his screwdriver. He visibly relaxed. "Good. The TARDIS is somewhere on the Earth, in this time, but the screwdriver has yet to get a lock on the exact position of it." The Doctor then walked out onto the street, out of the alley where they had spent the past 15 minutes. Spotting something across the street, blanched.

"Doctor?" Amy appeared, concerned by his side, following his gaze. "Oh." she said softly.

Across the street, there was an ordinary brick wall but what was on the wall was of interest to the Doctor. It was covered in graffiti, but one particular tag stood out. This graffiti was a message in Gallifreyan, spray painted in bright yellow.

"Hey wait for m-" Rory broke off suddenly, sensing the tension. "What's wrong?"

"It's a message. From the Master." The Doctor said quietly.

"What does it say?" Amy asked in hushed tones.

"Race you."

Rory took a step back, puzzled. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he is looking for the TARDIS too." As he said this, the Doctor slumped against the wall. "This has made our job infinitely more difficult, because now we have to find it fast too. And the Master is cunning, he most likely will have help too. I'm glad you made me let you stay." He said the last bit softly, and mostly to himself. Amy heard though.

"We are too."

* * *

"Time is of the essence, we need to be fast and efficient." They were jogging as the Doctor briefed them about what they needed to do. "I have a general position, but you aren't going to like it."

"Where is it?" Rory puffed. This Doctor ran much faster than the last one, and eight years without him hadn't helped. Amy, however, had no trouble keeping up. She had kept running through the years, always on her toes, a waiting to hear the familiar sound of the TARDIS and go running after it.

"Erm..." He looked at his screwdriver." Somewhere in Europe, and we need to get closer for my scanners to get a complete lock on it."

"How are we going to get there?" Amy asked, concerned that the Doctor hadn't considered this."

The Doctor smiled and said, "I have a couple of ideas."

* * *

"Do you have a car?"

"No, we never found need for one." Rory answered sheepishly.

"Fine, just fine, but it would have made things easier. Oh I wish I had Bessie right now!"

"Bessie?" Amy asked, intrigued.

"Later!" The Doctor said, brushing off Amy's question. He then ran over to a lime green station wagon, and used his sonic on the doors to unlock them.

"Even you can't steal a car!" Amy exclaimed, appalled. "The owner will go looking for it!"

"Time machine." I could get it back here before it was even gone." He said in answer, "Also, if the Master gets ahold of my TARDIS, the owner will have a much bigger problem on their hands. Now get in the car!"

Amy and Rory obliged, and the Doctor careened off, driving the car like he flew the TARDIS. That is to say, recklessly.

"Slow down!" Amy screamed "This car doesn't have seat belts!"

The Doctor just laughed and continued. "We have to go fast! I have no idea where the Master is!

"Where are we going?" yelled Rory, while being tossed about in the back seat.

"The Airport!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a back alley of New York, man named Joseph was approached by a stranger wearing a trench coat and hat, the collar on his coat turned up, and the hat pulled low over his eyes.

"I'm not interested." Joseph said firmly.

"Oh, I'm not a drug dealer," he said. "But I am here to make you an offer." The man's words were punctuated by a deep, rasping cough.

This piqued his interest. "What for?" He said cautiously, taking a step back, so the man could not jump him.

"I need your help to find something that was lost."

"And just what is that?"

"A time machine." The man broke into a fit of coughing.

Joseph stared incredulously at the man, sure he was kidding him. "Are you okay, sir? Do you need a doctor?"

The man laughed at this. When he was done, he said, "I suppose, in a way, I do need a Doctor. I'm not okay, I'm dying, but dying is okay for me." The man took a step back, took off his hat, revealing his face for the first time. He was obviously a dyed blond, with stubble. Unremarkable in every way. But then, he raised his arms, tipped his head back, and burst into golden flames.


	5. A New Face

Joseph stared at the man in shock, but as soon as it had started, the gold light had faded, and a new person stood in his place. A woman, in fact. She had just...appeared when the light had faded, wearing the blond man's now gigantic clothes.

"No, no, this won't do at all!" she exclaimed, feeling her hair and breasts. "I've never been a _girl _before. " She said clearly disgusted. "Almost worth regenerating again." she muttered. "Do I have to start calling myself a she?" She wondered aloud. Her eyes then widened, as if she came to a sudden realization. He was a girl, and there was a human man that could assist him nearby. Humans were extremely susceptible to advances of the opposite sex, and could be manipulated through this. This unexpected turn of events could be very helpful indeed.

"Um, ma'am, do you need some help?" Joseph asked tentatively, unsure of what just happened.

"Of course I need some help," she purred seductively. "We need to take a trip, far, far away."

"But what about th-" he was cut off as the Master pulled him into a tight, passionate kiss. Joseph resisted at first, flailing his hands about, but soon let himself relax. Man, she was a good kisser! When the Master finally came up for air she smiled again, but there was an undercurrent of malice that gave Joseph the chills.

"The man though, whe-" he was shushed again by her finger over his lips, and she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Let's not talk about him." The Master turned on what he hoped was the feminine charm. Whatever she had done, it had worked. Joseph was rendered completely speechless.

"Um- I- you-" was all Joseph managed to stutter out. The Master rolled her eyes. Rassilon, she had picked a literate one.

"Let's go." smiling coyly, she wandered back towards the street, nearly tripping and ruining the image. She needed some new clothes! First job, she thought, as soon as I get this idiot to follow me. Turning back slightly, she crooked her finger at Joseph, and he blindly followed, amazed by this woman who had so quickly won him over.

When he caught up with her, she whispered into his ear. "I need some clothes, nut I have no money." She pushed him away slightly, and put his face into a simpering pout. He hated making himself seem weak, but right now, it was the best strategy for winning him over. "Will you help me with this?"

Shaking himself, Joseph tried to say no, but the woman suddenly doubled over as if someone had punched her in the gut. Seemingly in pain, she screwed he face up and let some golden energy out her mouth. Instinct took over, and he caught her before she hit the ground.

"Miss?" He asked, unsure what had happened.

"I'm fine. Just..." Struggling to fine an analogy, she decided, "finishing up." She then doubled over again, and let out even more energy. "Fine, I'm just fine!" she squeaked, quickly straightening up. "This is perfectly normal!

Joseph furrowed his brow, sure this was not normal. The energy, it was very similar to the flames he had seen the man erupt into. Realization dawned over him. "Oh my god. You're him."

"Yes" she snarled. "Now will you help me willingly, or do I have to force you to?"

"W-w-willingly, ma'am."

"Good. Now I need some clothes."

* * *

They reached the airport in what Amy was sure was record time. She heard a groan from the backseat.

"Are we there yet?"

Stifling a laugh, Amy leaned over and kissed Rory, who had popped up in the space between the two seats. "Yes, we are."

"Remind me never to let the Doctor drive again."

"Course, dear."

The Doctor had been regarding this exchange with some impatience. He was antsy to get to the TARDIS and find the Master. "Come along, Ponds. There is work to be done." He found himself smiling, using the phrase he hadn't had a chance to for so long.

Pulling themselves out of the kiss, Rory, rumpled and confused said, "Yes, of course, where are we again?"

"The airport, Rory." Amy smirked, enjoying her husband's confusion for just a second.

"Right," the Doctor said, "We must hurry, I can sense the Master's presence somewhere close by, but it's...wrong, different somehow. Mustn't dwell on that though, come along."

They hurried up to the airport, and entered , the Doctor pulling out his physic paper immediately. "Important business from Washington, we will need a fight to Spain immediately." The airport staff scrambled around, accommodating Amy, Rory and the Doctor's every need.

"I think I need my own physic paper if it gets me treated this well." Amy joked.

An airport supervisor came over and said, "The next flight leaves in twenty minutes. We can just fit you all on in first class. Come with me." They followed the manager to the flight and boarded without a hitch.

Little did they know, a woman and a man in newly bought garments were watching the trio very closely indeed.


	6. Meeting the Master

"That's strange." said the Doctor, frowning. "I can still sense the Master's presence, even though the plane has taken off."

"Are you sure?" asked Rory worriedly. Amy was sleeping in the seat beside him. "Could something be messing with your senses?"

The Doctor frowned, and replied, "I don't think so." He leaned closer to Rory and spoke in low tones, "I need you to do something for me, to prove I'm not being messed with."

"What?" asked Rory, ready to refuse.

"I need you to go and knock out that male steward and go around serving drinks, and while you do this, put this," he pulled out a dropper,"into everyone's drinks. It makes Time Lords react in terrible hives, but is completely harmless to humans."

Groaning inwardly, Rory said, "And just how am I supposed to that?"

The Doctor pulled a small vial filled with clear liquid out of his pocket. "This is a mixture, that if you breathe the fumes in from, you fall into a deep sleep. Then we put him in your seat and pull round the privacy curtains." He smiled brightly, as if he had just solved all the world's problems.

"Great. So you want me to drug him."

"If you feel more comfortable putting that way."

Rory took the vial and dropper from the Doctor and then emptied the vial into his water glass, and careful not to breathe in the fumes, stood up, looking to his left and right, bumped into the male steward, spilling the glass with the mixture all down his front. Rory apologized profusely, but the man was already falling. Quickly, Rory caught him. Good thing they were the only ones in the first class cabin. Rory dragged him over to the seat, and the Doctor took his sonic screwdriver and buzzed it over the wet area of the shirt. It dried instantly, allowing Rory to take a deep breath in, now that the air was clear from the fumes.

"Oh, and I forgot this," he said, pulling another thing out of his never-ending pockets. "Its a perception filter, it will make you look like him. The fish from space had them in Venice, remember? I think this might even be the same model..." The Doctor trailed off, scrutinizing the perception filter, before Rory grabbed it out of his hands. Rory clipped the filter onto his belt, instantly shifting slightly to match the steward.

"Okay then. I'll be off."

Before he left the first class cabin, Rory emptied the dropper into the water pitcher. He then went around refilling absolutely everyone's water glasses, and getting funny looks from some of the passengers. Rory had decided that he would be silent, serving people, but not saying anything. When he got to a couple in very fancy clothes, he was almost out of water. Good thing he was almost done. Returning quickly to the first class cabin, he ripped off the perception filter.

"Never doing anything like that ever again." Rory said, dropping into his seat. The Doctor, seeing that Rory had returned, jumped up with yet another vial, uncorking it and wafting it under the man's nostrils for a moment. The man's eyes snapped open.

"What just happened?" he asked confusedly.

"You passed out from the pressure change." said the Doctor, matter-of-factly. "Don't worry, we won't tell your superiors. Could happen to anyone."

The man visibly relaxed. "Good. I better go make my rounds before anyone notices I'm gone." The man stood up and left the first class cabin.

"Now, we wait." said the Doctor.

* * *

The Master took a sip of her water, and immediately could tell something was wrong with it.

"Rassilon." she muttered feeling the effect of the chemical in her drink. The Doctor had obviously sensed her on the plane. Just then, the Doctor appeared in the aisle. Speak of the devil. She could feel her skin breaking out, but kept quiet. Eyes scanning the people on the plane, his eyes locked onto her. He raised his eyebrows in amusement and the Master scowled back.

The Doctor walked over to her and whispered, "I have the antidote, if you come with me quietly. You know I just want to talk." She glanced at Joseph.

"Only if he comes too."

"Who is this man?" asked Joseph, intrigued by the exchange.

"A very old friend." said the Master.

At this, the Doctor chuckled. "I'm not sure friend is the right word."

"Would you rather me use the word enemy?" said the Master innocently, knowing the full impact of her words.

The Doctor's face darkened. "Not the right word either."

At this, Joseph cut in, "So...complicated."

"Yes. That's a good word." said the Doctor, smirking. He offered his arm to the Master. "Care to join me?" he said.

"Quite." said the Master, taking the Doctor's arm and stood up, "Come, Joseph."

Joseph followed, dumbstruck. These two were obviously very familiar with each other, but he couldn't figure out the dynamic between them. And he was very good at reading people. They then went into the first class cabin, where Rory had woken Amy, and they were watching with curiosity, as the Doctor entered with a woman with long, straight brown hair enter, and a man follow them.

"This is the Master." He said gesturing to the woman on his arm. They sat down, and the Doctor gave the master a glass. She took a sip, and immediately, her hives started to go down.

Amy and Rory had been staring at the woman in shock. "Um, no offence Doctor, but I'm pretty sure you called the Master a he before"

"I have been male in all my previous regenerations, but I'm female this time. Bit of a change, granted, but not one I can't get used to."

Who's this then?" Rory said, gesturing to Joseph.

At this, the Master smirked. "My companion."

"She likes to mock me." The Doctor cut in. "I'd like to keep her, and-" he cut himself off. "I don't know your name." He said, turning to face Joseph.

Joseph was the only one left standing, and was looking very uncomfortable. "Joseph." he muttered, barely audible.

"Right then, and Joseph." he said. "If you will excuse me a moment."

The Doctor took Amy and Rory aside. "Ponds, I need you to talk to Joseph, make him feel comfortable while I try to convince the Master to stop trying to get my TARDIS." he took Rory and Amy in closer and in hushed tones, spoke to them. "Tell him what the Master intends to do, and how he-" he Doctor corrected himself, "she, is planning to do that."

"I'm a Williams..." Rory said, but trailed off when he realized the Doctor was no longer listening, and had already settled himself into the seat across from the Master, and had pulled the privacy curtain across.

* * *

"So...where are you from?" asked Rory, feeling a bit awkward.

"Manhattan." Joseph replied tersely, not wanting to reveal too much about himself to the two strangers.

"We're from Leadworth, in the 21st century," Amy said.

"So she wasn't joking about the time travel." He said under his breath. "Prove it." he said, challenging Amy and Rory.

"Oh, um, here." said Rory, pulling out his mobile. "It's my phone."

"Why do you still have that." Amy said. She had stopped carrying hers around years ago, and it now lay forgotten in a drawer.

"It's the only piece of home I've got." said Rory, feeling embarrassed.

Amy suddenly pulled Rory in for a kiss, and only stopped when Joseph cleared his throat behind them.

"Right." said Rory, handing the phone over. "The on button is just there." he said, pressing it. The phone buzzed on, and Joseph jumped. He touched the screen, and the phone made a beeping noise, which he jumped at again. He gingerly put the phone back on the fold-down table, making sure he didn't touch the screen again.

"I guess that proves it." he said.

Wanting to move on from the topic of the phone, Amy asked, "How did you meet the Master?"

"He came up to me in an alleyway,"

"Sorry, he?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, and then he did a golden glowy thing, and there she was. Weirdest thing I've ever seen." Joseph was clearly starting to relax around Amy and Rory, as he was more open with his answers.

"Do you know what she wants to do?"

"Find a time machine."

"The Doctor's time machine. She wants to steal it." said Amy gently, not sure how much the Master had told him.

"Doctor?"

"That bloke over there. He is less funny looking then he used to be though. Used to be all chin and limbs."

"He can do that thing then too?" Joseph said, not knowing how to refer to regeneration.

"'That thing' is called regeneration," the Doctor called over indignantly, he had been listening in.

"Oi! Yo. Have your conversation and we'll have ours!" exclaimed Amy.

"Alright, alright." said the Doctor chuckling. Soon after they could hear the Doctor and the Master's hushed conversation resuming.

"I know how you feel," said Rory. "I was thrown into this all as well, after years of thinking he was just Amy's imaginary friend." At this, Amy punched him in the arm. "Ow!" said Rory, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

"My imaginary friend."

"I meant it in a nice way!" Rory protested.

Joseph watched the two of them in amusement. They were quite a pair. But there was no doubt that they both loved each other very much. They continued their light bickering, until he reminded them of his presence, with another clearing of his throat, louder this time.

"Oh. Right." said Amy. "Sorry, we never really have anyone else around."

"Just us. Can't risk altering our timelines."

"And how is being a time traveller?"

"We're not anymore. We are stuck in this time for the rest of our lives." Amy's face fell, and a tear slipped down her cheek. "Touched by an angel." she said very softly.

"I'm sorry." said Joseph, uncomfortably.

"It's okay, I've gotten used to it. We've been here 8 years now."

Just then, the Doctor flung across the privacy curtain and said, "I think we may have just reached an agreement."

* * *

**A/N: Wow! My longest chapter yet! Reviews are always appriciated. **


	7. Escape

Looking relieved, Joseph went and stood next to the Master, she then stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear. Joseph's face hardened and then he nodded. The Doctor glanced at them idly, but continued talking.

"She is going to come with me. She and I will travel, like we used to," he said, casting a sympathetic look at Amy and Rory, before continuing on. "If she works with me, and doesn't try to hinder my efforts in saving people, I won't restrain her or keep her captive." he glanced at the Master, who smiled at him in return. But there was an undercurrent of malice in the smile, as if she was planning something. The Doctor furrowed his brow, reaching out with his mind towards the Master. There was nothing but a wall, and an expertly constructed one at that. She was definitely planning something. The Master always was.

"Don't forget the last bit." she said, smiling sweetly. "It's my favourite part."

"Well...yes, I guess that was part of it." he said with a sigh, "She only has to stay with me until she has convinced me she won't be a danger to the universe, at which point I will drop her off at a planet of her choosing, and check in on her every few years, make sure she hasn't reverted back to her old ways."

"How do you know she won't do a runner?" Amy asked, wary still of the Master.

"I'd rather gallivant about the universe in freedom with this idiot," the Doctor shot the Master a glare, "than spend the rest of my life imprisoned, which is what he promised he promised he would do if I try to escape. And if I do actually escape, we always manage to come across each other, don't we, Doctor." she gave a small laugh, which seemed to very forced. "I suppose that if I tried to avoid him, I would come across him much quicker!"

Joseph cleared his throat, making everyone jump. They had forgotten he was there. "What happens to me?"

The Doctor looked at him, confused at the question. "You go back to Manhattan with Amy and Rory, of course."

"But now that I know that there is so much more out there, I want to go and see it. The Master told me all about things before we met you...and after I talked to Amy and Rory, I want to come with you." Joseph was speaking into his toes, embarrassed to make such a request. "See the universe, and and all the stars, maybe even your planet." he looked at the Doctor hopefully, and the Doctor hesitated. Could he take this man, who had possibly been corrupted by the Master, with him on his adventures? But this thought was interrupted by him seeing the Master take something out of her purse. He instantly recognized it. It was a vortex manipulator. The Master pressed a few buttons, setting the coordinates.

"Bye-bye Doctor!" the Master crooned, quickly grabbing Joseph. "Oh- and hope you recognize this particular one. It came from a very dear friend of yours. Captain Jack."

"Stop her!" the Doctor cried desperately, while running through the thing the Master had just said. Captain Jack had given his vortex manipulator to someone? I was certainly battered enough to be his, though.

Amy heard the Doctor just in the nick of time though. She was the closest to the Master and Joseph, and just before they teleported away, she grabbed onto the Master's wrist, and Amy was taken with them.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is very short, but it felt like a good place to end it. Please review!**


	8. Capture

"No!" cried Rory. "What have they done with her? Please tell me she isn't dead." He was in near hysterics before the Doctor grabbed Rory by his shoulders and gave him a little shake.

"She isn't dead, Rory. That was a vortex manipulator, Captain Jack's it looked like it. She must of fixed it, but there is no way she could have fixed the time travel setting. It's just like a teleporter. She's fine- well, as fine as she can be with the Master." the Doctor said. "The Master won't dare harm Amy if she thinks she could use her as a hostage. We need to be collected, now that they have a head start. It should be another hour or so before we reach Spain, and the Master should be there too."

"How are we going to get her back?"

"I'll think of something. Don't worry Rory, I would never leave her. You know that."

* * *

The minute the Doctor and Rory's flight touched down in Spain, they were both running to get off the plane. The Doctor checked his sonic screwdriver, which he had set to sense Amy now, as well as the TARDIS.

"She's not far from here but I can't get a clear reading right now." He banged his screwdriver on his opposite hand a couple times. "What's wrong with you?" He placed his screwdriver back in his pocket, and him and Rory made it through customs easily.

"You have tons of stuff in those pockets, some of it must be metal. How did you get through customs?"

"Spacey-wacey. We don't have time for this now Rory!"

"Right. We have to find both our wives." Rory smirked.

"Don't dis the TARDIS!"

"Sorry Doctor."

They were outside the airport now, and Rory asked, "How are we going to get around now, Doctor?"

"You will find that I have procured a way of transport." Seeing Rory's look, he backtracked a little, saying, "It's perfectly legal this time, don't get your knickers in a twist. Ah. There it is now." A car with tinted windows came rolling up to the curb where they were standing.

"Are you a Mr. Rory Williams and," he furrowed his brow, perplexed by what he saw on the page, "the Doctor?"

"Yes, thank you." said Rory. The driver got out of the car and handed the keys over.

"It's all been paid for sir. The car is yours for the month."

"A month?!" exclaimed Rory. "Just how long do you think this is going to take? I have a job you know!"

The Doctor pulled Rory aside and said, "Time machine. Now let's go." Rory and the Doctor got into the car, and drove away.

* * *

With a bump, Amy landed on her butt on the ground. She was immediately grabbed by her shoulders and yanked up by the Master.

"You filthy, little bitch." the Master struck Amy full across the face and then dropped her. "Keep an eye on her." She spat at Joseph and strode off, leaving Amy and Joseph alone.

"You okay?" asked Joseph, kneeling down next to Amy.

"Fine." Amy said shortly. "Not the worst thing that's happened to me."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Well, I'm sorry to do this." Amy said, and kneed Joseph in the balls, sprinting away down the narrow dirt road.

Unfortunately, Amy ran straight into the Master, knocking them both over. Amy attempted to run away again, but she was met by Joseph. She was truly trapped.

"Oh, oh, oh, you're going to wish you hadn't done that." The Master said, smiling evilly. "You just made things a whole lot worse for yourself."

* * *

**A/N: Another short chapter, I'm having a bit of an issue with ideas at the moment, so if anyone has any ideas I would be glad to hear them! **

**Thank you to my reviewers, IceQueenforLife, DesiringMagic, and Kirbyfan1996! Love you guys!  
**


	9. Found

**A/N: This chapter will contain some abuse, mainly of Amy. If you don't want to read that, skip until the first line break.**

* * *

The Master struck Amy again, harder this time. Amy felt a small drip of blood running down from her temple. She was hit yet again, this time falling to her knees. The Master was stronger than she looked.

"If you weren't useful as hostage, I would kill you. But now I have some extra leverage against the Doctor, isn't that nice?" The Master was spoke right next to Amy's ear, punctuating her sentence with a half-crazed laugh. "I guess hurting you will have to do." With each word, the Master kicked Amy, until it seemed as though she passed out.

Joseph had been standing uncomfortably off to the side, wincing whenever Amy was struck. "Don't you think that's enough?" he said, finally working up the courage to say something.

Hearing his words the master wheeled around and punched him clear in the face, knocking him the the ground. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the Master's boot, swinging towards his face.

* * *

"Where are we going?" said Rory. "I need to know where we are going if I'm driving."

"Well that's your fault." said the Doctor. He was pouting slightly, as Rory had refused to let him drive after his experience in America.

"Doctor, I need directions."

"Fine. Get on this road here." the Doctor gestured to a small dirt road. "I can sense the Master somewhere in this direction, but she is actively trying to block me. It's a fruitless attempt though. I know her too well. Turn again." He said suddenly. "I can feel her presence getting stronger."

The road dead-ended in a hilly field.

"I guess we're walking from here." said Rory resignedly. "Can you tell how far away the Master is?"

The Doctor furrowed his brow, concentrating hard. "Very near. Less than a kilometre. In..." he concentrated harder. "That direction." He pointed to a small stand of trees off to the left of the field.

"Let's go then." Rory was getting a tad impatient, when he heard the call of the Master's voice. They both tensed up.

"Oh, Doctor, I know you're here somewhere! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" the Master cried out in a sing song voice.

"Are we going to her?" Rory asked.

"It's what she wants, which is never good for us, but yes, I think we have to try to get Amy back."

The Master came into view, cresting a nearby hill, and and when she spotted them, she gave a false cheery wave, as if taunting them to come near her. A few seconds later they saw Joseph round the hill as well, supporting Amy with his shoulder. When Rory saw this, he gave a cry of alarm.

"She will be in good enough condition that the Master thinks she can still use her as a bargaining chip. She isn't hurt, or not very badly." the Doctor said, wincing slightly at the last bit.

"Will we get her back?" said Rory, the worry almost hiding the anger in his tone.

"Yes. I promised you."

Rory nodded, but in the back of his mind, there was a small doubt that whispered, _Rule Number One._ He Pushed those thoughts away, and focused on the task at hand. Getting Amy back.

* * *

**A/N: This is a double update, think of it as and early Christmas, (or Holiday) present from me! :) Thanks to IceQueenforLife, DectectiveSilence for reviewing **


	10. A Deal is Made

The Master called out, "Hello, Doctor. Fancy seeing you here." She smiled maliciously, "I have something you want, and you have something I want. Do you know where this is going?"

"I'm afraid I do. You want the TARDIS key." responded the Doctor.

"Good. Do we have an agreement then?"

"No."

Rory looked at the Doctor, shocked by his answer. He pulled the Doctor aside, so that their backs were facing the Master, and spoke in a hurried, slightly angry whisper.

"You said you would get her back."

"And I will. But I make a point of not taking the first deal that comes to me from the Master. She always has a plan and half a dozen tricks up her sleeve. If I do what she wants, she will best us most definitely."

"How do you know that she doesn't know you don't like to take her first deal, and will offer the worst option for her first?"

"Good point. That's why I'm making my own deal."

"What is it going to be?"

The Doctor looked at Rory incredulously. "You know I'll figure something out."

"So, no plan?"

"I am offended you would think I had no plan!" the Doctor blustered, but upon seeing Rory's face which was a mixture of disgust and fondness. "Yeah. No plan."

"Some things never change do they?" Rory said, shaking his head.

"I guess so. At least the fact that I figure something out never changes too."

"Done thinking, Doctor?"

"Yes, in fact, I am."

"Offering me something aren't you?"

"Yes. No TARDIS key for you, but I still want Amy. When and if one of us finds the TARDIS, we will signal the other, and the humans to back where they belong, and the one of us that doesn't find the TARDIS gets put on a planet of the other's choosing in exile."

"Why leave the girl with me though?"

"Because I will have Joseph, and for my own reasons. You know that your deals always have ulterior motives. So do mine."

"How do I know you will give me the key when I get to the TARDIS?"

"Good point. To make things fair, neither of us will have a key. Rory will keep it, and travel with neither of us. He will serve as a sort of judge, and he will be unbiased, right Rory?" The Doctor gave Rory a little nudge.

"Yeah. Of course. No bias at all."

"To keep him unbiased, I get the girl. You can keep the other one, pushing Joseph towards the Doctor."

"I get to speak to her."

"Fine. Five minutes." The Master shoved Amy towards the Doctor roughly, and he ran forward and caught her. He saw she was bruised and bloody, with a black eye, a split lip, and several smaller bruises on the side of her face.

"Oh, Amy, what has she done to you?" he said, hugging her tightly and kissing her ginger head.

"I'll live. Come over here, where she can't hear us." They walked father away from the Master and turned their backs to her. "Doctor, I still have my key."

"Oh, you wonderful Ponds. I will agree to let her keep you, but she can't hurt you anymore. I won't allow it. If she finds the TARDIS first, get inside before she can. Everything will be fine."

"Your time is up!" called the Master in a singsong voice. "Do we have an official deal, Doctor?"

"Yes. I travel with Joseph, you travel with Amy, Rory acts as judge. You also can't hurt Amy any more than you already have. Here, Rory." he passed his key to him, and Rory took it, dumbfounded by the Doctor's willingness to let the Master keep Amy. "Don't worry, we have an excellent plan." the Doctor said to Rory under his breath.

"It better be." Rory replied.

"Go on, Joseph. He won't bite." The Master prodded Joseph towards the Doctor, and he walked over unwillingly. The Doctor hugged him, and Joseph tensed up at this.

"There. The hunt begins, Doctor." the Master walked off in the direction that she came, with Amy trailing behind, somewhat reluctantly. She turned and blew a kiss to Rory, who continued standing in the same spot, as if disbelieving this was happening.

The Doctor turned with a smile towards Joseph. "So, Joseph. Where should be begin?"

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to IceQueenforLife, DectectiveSilence, and DesiringMagic for reviewing!**


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